Bear Activity: August 12 to 18, 2011

The following summary is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.

BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

Be aware of your surroundings, know how to reduce the likelihood of encounters, and be prepared should an encounter take place. Always use caution by paying attention to signs of bear activity such as scats, tracks, and digging. Make lots of noise while hiking; hike in groups when possible; carry pepper spray; and obey closures.

Education Tidbit

There are times when it is necessary to remove bears from an area. This is usually because of public safety concerns; the bear is displaying unwarranted aggression towards people or is predating on domestic animals for example. Removal can include euthanization or moving the bear to a new area. This is known as relocating the animal. Relocation is controversial and at times unsuccessful as it moves the bear into another bears territory and the bear will often continue the behavior it was initially relocated for. GB 116, a young male grizzly bear was relocated out of the Bow Valley in June for breaking into a barn and killing a domestic sheep. He was relocated to the Grande Cache area of northern Alberta and outfitted with a GPS collar to monitor his daily movements. As of last week, he has stayed out of trouble and had moved into the Willmore Wilderness area. At the moment, it seems that this bears relocation has worked out favourably.

What is this?The above tag cloud is a visual depiction of Zones used for reporting Bear & Wildlife Activity. The bigger the font, the more activity. Click on any Zone to view all related Activity Reports.